Doped-Si-Ag composite electrodes for Li-ion batteries

An experimental study is carried out of the electrochemical characteristics of electrodes made from pure silicon (Si), doped-silicon (doped-Si) particles and doped-silicon-silver (doped-Si-Ag) composite particles. Doped-Si particles of 10-20 mu m are obtained by mechanically crushing the silicon wafers, followed by sieving, and the doped-Si-Ag composite particles was prepared by self-selective electroless deposition. The Ag coating on doped-Si provides improved overall electrical conductivity that enables a better charge transfer. Measurements show that the doped-Si-Ag composite anode give the best electrochemical performance, with the lowest impedance and improved cyclability, and this is followed by the electrodes of doped-Si and pure Si. Moreover, the composite electrode has a stable discharge capacity of 1300 mAhrg(-1) for more than 100 cycles, which is attributed to a good electrical integrity, while the pure and doped-Si electrodes degraded in less than 40 cycles. (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier B.V.